


Mending Wings

by hansel



Category: Le Fantôme de l'Opéra | Phantom of the Opera & Related Fandoms, Love Never Dies - Lloyd Webber, Phantom of the Opera - Lloyd Webber
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, there will be some phantom/christine but im not going to tag it since its not the main thing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-29
Updated: 2020-01-29
Packaged: 2021-02-27 18:48:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 849
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22468135
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hansel/pseuds/hansel
Summary: And even when she sings, and soars above me — I try to clip her wings...Christine does not sing and Raoul tries to repair their lives, together. It sounds fairly simple, but Raoul realizes that once something is broken, fixing it seems, no,mightbe impossible.But nothing will stop him from trying.
Relationships: Raoul de Chagny/Christine Daaé
Comments: 2
Kudos: 3





	Mending Wings

**Author's Note:**

> A bit of a ventfic. Based on the musical of course since it’s Love Never Dies, but also takes aspects from the novel. Also important to know: Philippe is not dead here (and I’m taking his personality pretty much from MazM’s version—.......so this is one hell of a Frankenstein’s creature kind of fanfic)

Raoul was confident Christine would not sing. She would not sing for the Phantom, she would choose _him_ , who had always been there for her. These last ten years had been... truly less than ideal and Raoul had made countless errors. But even so, he LOVEDher—and _she_ loved _him_ , right?

But panic settled in when he could not stop those dreadful words from echoing in his head.

Meg had said with ominous certainty, _“_ _Once he gets into her soul, there's nothing she won't do for him.”_

And then, even worse, _“_ _Is he more you or me?_ _Which one do you find most?”_

Such mocking words. It was mortifying! To be taunted by a circus freak, that MONSTER that just had to reappear in their lives. He was wrong. There was no way that Gustave was that creature’s child. Meg Giry was also wrong, Christine would never abandon him like that.

...but what _if_ , even if there was the smallest chance, they were both _right_?

Self-doubt crept into every inch of Raoul’s body and no amount of drinking could help him. He had already let his life crumble into shambles, but he would most certainly lose what little of himself he retained, as well as his sanity, should he lose Christine. And Gustave—HIS son, surely not the Phantom’s!

He could not risk it. Without much thought over it, he leapt into action to protect himself, _his_ family. He obtained the assistance of Madame Giry and Meg Giry to distract the Phantom and anyone else who could possibly get in his way. He did not care how they did it— _that freak_ just had to be elsewhere while Raoul went to Christine.

Though it was a dirty way to do it, Raoul chloroformed his wife, found Gustave, made quick preparations and took them both back to the carriage and then to the boat.

And they left. Left that cursed Coney Island, and went back to France.

* * *

It was an embarrassment to have to have to crawl back to the Chagny estate, where Raoul’s brother and his wife lived, but there was no other choice. If he was ever going to get back on his feet and straighten out, he would need assistance, and who else could he turn to? Raoul did indeed gamble everything away, after all.

The gambler of the Chagny family, the useless drunkard, the _black sheep_ of the Chagny’s. That was Raoul—a disgrace to the good Chagny name, and it was a miracle that Philippe was willing to overlook all of that to help his little brother out. He could not possibly screw any of this up, it was his final chance.

Upon arrival at the mansion, Raoul settled an utterly distressed and confused Christine in, along with Gustave, and then attempted to explain everything to Philippe. The two brothers were currently in the living room, Philippe on an armchair and Raoul, standing near the window.

He had just finished getting the basics of the situation down. With a deep sigh being withheld, Raoul spoke. “—What else _could_ I have done?” He glanced toward his perfectly still brother, always a stoic sight. “And please, spare me your lectures on my drinking habits.”

As much as he would love to, he can’t change what’s been done. He cannot change what brought him here in the first place.

Though he should have been used to looks and tones of disappointment, it still stung when Phillipe deeply sighed before he voiced himself. “This ‘circus freak’, as you call him, is the Phantom of the Opera? From a decade ago?”

Of all the things for Philippe to mention, _that_ was it? Raoul flippantly raised his arms. “ _Yes_ , the one and the same.What of him?”

Philippe glared upon his gesture and Raoul immediately let both arms fall to the side and he straightened his posture. It did not matter how old he got—Philippe would always manage to strike authoritative fear in him.

“If it is indeed the same ‘Phantom’, then simply running back home to France will not stop him,” Philippe responded, his voice quiet with concern.

Raoul clicked his tongue as he set his gaze back to the window. “But I believe it will stop him. His ‘feelings’ for Christine are nothing but a SHAM .”

There was no audible reply from Philippe, he merely heard the sound of the man standing up from the cushy, elegant chair. He looked over and saw Philippe headed for the door.

Philippe held onto the knob. “Speaking of your wife, should you not go and speak with her?” He said, matter of fact, as he opened the door. “Tend to her, while I think about what you told me.”

Tend to her...? Oh yes, as if it were so simple. What can he say to Christine? What can she say to him? There was a time when both their hearts were completely open to the other—that seemed so far away now.

And yet, if he intended to fix everything, speaking to Christine, his wife, would be the first step.


End file.
